


A Thousand Years

by Shinju_Tori_Archives (Shinju_Tori)



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Animal Hybrid AU, Attempted Suicide AU, Blind/Mute/Deaf AU, Connction AU, Cursed Love AU, F/M, Feel free to message me with more!, Gen, Ghost Whisperer AU, Grif gives bad advice to Simmons, HDM AU, HTTYD AU, Long Distance AU, M/M, Neighboring Musicians AU, Selkie AU, Soulmates AU, Time Travel AU, Various AUs, Various Songfics, Videogamer AU, Wing AU, amnesia au, band au, cancer au, mutant AU, street performer au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-01
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 03:48:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinju_Tori/pseuds/Shinju_Tori_Archives
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over a thousand lifetimes, Dexter Grif and Richard "Dick" Simmons were always together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: I Have Loved You For A Thousand Years

**Author's Note:**

> ....I have nothing to say about this, only that I have only seen up to mid-way through season 2 and parts of season 10...  
>  Anyway, ALLONSY~! :)

 

> _I have died everyday waiting for you_  
>  _Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you_  
>  _For a thousand years_  
>  _I'll love you for a thousand more_

\- Christina Perri; **A Thousand Years**

One thousand Lifetimes.

Whether they know it or not, Dexter Grif and Richard “Dick” Simmons have always been together. They are not ~~always~~ lovers, they are ~~always~~ friends, they are sometimes ~~rarely~~ enemies, but they’re at each others’ sides, no matter how briefly that time together may seem to an outsider, such as yourself.

The stories that follow are just a few instances of thousands where they have been together. Some are sad. Some are happy. Some maybe familiar to you. Some maybe brand new. 

No matter what you may read, do try to keep this in mind:

No matter where they're from, no matter what time, no matter what small changes have been made to them or their universe just know that the Orange Surfer and Maroon Bookworm are always together.


	2. Encounter 1: New Kid in School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard Simmons hated his new school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of background, this starts at the beginning of school and Grif didn't return till a month after school started because of family issues in Hawaii. Kay?  
> Oh! And none of the kids mocking Simmons are any of the Blood Gulch or Freelancers okay? Just so you know...
> 
> I might continue this drabble in a seperate story...  
> Or in another drabble later on...Perhaps...

Richard Simmons hated his new school.

Strike that. It wasn't the school itself he hated. It was his fellow students.

He had just moved to Blood Gulch with his family only this past summer and as soon as he walked in through the  doors of the Elementary School, he was set upon by the class bullies. They mocked him about everything that they could think of.

His pale skin.

His thin frame.

His tall height.

His ginger hair.

His glasses.

His freckles.

His love of books.

His name.

Where he was from.

The "uppity" way he dressed in a polo, khakis, and penny loafers.

During recess Simmons would cram himself into a far corner of the playground with a book and try to ignore his tormenters. This continued throughout September and part of the way through October. That's when a boy who Simmons hadn't seen or heard of before then, arrived and the bullies left off of him during class to pester the new arrival with questions about his summer vacation that he had apparently spent in Hawaii.

When recess came around Simmons jogged over to his corner with today's book, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, in hand and braced himself for the usual mockery.

It never came.

Instead the boy from earlier wandered over, sat himself down a foot or so away from Simmons and started playing something with catchy upbeat music on his DS. Simmons briefly glanced up from his book to see that while his tormenters were glaring at him they kept eying the boy near him as if he was dangerous to them.

"Sorry for those guys. They can be really _lolo_."The boy suddenly said startling Simmons. He did something to pause his game before giving Simmons an apologetic smile. "Lo...lo?" Simmons hesitantly asked the boy who snorted.

" _Lolo_. Means crazy." Simmons tilted his head to the side. The boy grinned and offered Simmons his hand "I'm Grif. Dexter Grif." Simmons stared at his hand before gingerly taking it "Richard Simmons. You can call me Simmons though."

As they shook hands, Simmons noted the extreme differences between the two of them.

While he was tall, thin and, pale skinned with multitudes of freckles, Grif was shorter, chubby, and had a dark caramel tan.

Simmons' eyes were wide ( _"full of curiousity" as his mother said fondly_ ) and a dull greenish-gray like the underside of a mint leaf, while Grif's were sleepy looking and a rich brown like freshly turned soil.

His own ginger hair was cropped short while Grif's dark umber hair was a longer mess.

Simmons was politely dressed in a polo ( _a maroon one with a white S on it today_ ), tan khaki's and dark brown penny loafer, while Grif was casually dressed in an orange shirt with red Hawaiian flowers on it, dark red shorts, and black and white sneakers.

"Um...I apologize if this seems rude but why-?" Simmons started to ask but Grif interjected "Why am I sitting here with you and not hanging out with those jerks? Cuz I don't like them, they know if they mess with me they'll end up fighting with Sarge and I've decided to recruit you into the team."

Simmons blinked and inquired "Team?" Grif resumed playing his game as he off-handedly replied "Red Team. We're one of the two...I suppose you could call us gangs of Blood Gulch. The Red Team consists of me, Sarge, Donut, and Lopez is kinda a member of the Team, I guess..."

He glanced at Simmons, who was now squinting at his game.

"...Ever play Pokémon before?" Grif asked him. Simmons shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing together, "No...How do you play?" Grif grinned and told him "I'll teach you."

The rest of recess was spent with Grif starting a new game to teach Simmons how to play Pokémon. He told him what types were weak or stong against other types, about the many ways to evolve a Pokémon, the vague history of the Pokémon universe, and other little things.

When the bell rang, Simmons tried to give Grif his DS back but Grif handed it back and gave him the charger for it as well telling him that he could keep it and that he had another DS and another copy of the game at his home. Simmons smiled broadly at that and thanked him, carefully putting the DS away in his pocket.

No one bothered him for the rest of the day and Grif kept sending him little grins and exaggerated gestures of boredom that sent Simmons into giggle fits. When he got into the car after school, his mother remarked with a smile "Did something nice happen today sweetie? Your face looks ready to split in two with that grin!" Simmons paused, looking at himself in the side mirror.

He really was grinning widely and it stretched a bit more as he replied "I made a friend mom. I think he may be my bestest friend yet!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC (?)
> 
> Next time:
> 
> Encounter 2: Wings


	3. Encounter 2: Spread Your Wings and Take to the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At first Grif was jealous of Simmmons' wings but as time wore on he started feeling sorry for his massive wings instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory Wing AU *shrug*
> 
> I figure that the armor has some sort of opening in the back or something for their wings, IDGAF...
> 
> Meanings behind the wings at the end of the chapter...

The worst memory Grif had of his childhood was when his mother had taken him to a doctor for his yearly check-up at 13.

The doctor had told them that he was in perfect health and then paused before quietly asking to talk to his mom alone.

Grif had snuck back with Kaikaina and both had listened at the closed door as the doctor explained to his mother that his weight aside, Grif's wings would never be large enough to ssupport him in midair.

That night Grif stood in front of the mirror in his room and spread out his plain grey-brown wings ( _ **Passer domesticus** , a House Sparrow_) as far as they would go.

He had winced seeing that he could barely see their tips peeking out from either side of his shoulders.

He bit his lip, until blood flowed down his chin, as he tried not to cry.

All he wanted was to fly like his [makuakane](../) and [makuahine](../) could...

\-------------------------------------------------------------

When Grif first saw Simmons' wings he was jealous of the Irish-Dutchman.

  
While Grif's wings never grew below his ribs, Simmons' enormous light brown and cream wings ( ** _Tyto alba_** _, a Barn Owl_ ) almost brushed the ground whenever he folded them.

  
Sarge ( ** _Anser anser_** _,_ _a Greylag Goose_ ) had taken one look at Grif's wings and had declared that he could always use a foot soldier to distract the enemy while he swooped in from above.

As soon as Donut ( _ **T**_ ** _ **o** paza pella_** _, a Crimson Topaz Hummingbird_ ) saw his wings, Grif found himself seated on a stool in the mess as Donut preened the hard to reach spots at the joints where Grif's wings met his back.

Simmons didn't say anything and acted as though Grif's wings didn't exist.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

 A couple months later and Grif was puzzled by his teammates.

Donut rarely went from point A to point B without flying  which always meant that he was in the kitchen giving Grif a run for his money food consumtion wise.

Sarge had visciously demonstrated to Grif how to use one's wings in a fight as both a means of evading attacks as well as landing blows with them which hurt like a bitch.

In the past two months, Grif had never seen Simmons use his wings for anything other than balancing himself as he walked.

Grif was smoking a cigarette by the window of the barracks, watching Simmons clean his armor, when he casually said "Ya know...I've seen Donut fly and I've seen Sarge fly. Don't think I've seen you fly, Simmons."

Simmons' shoulders tensed, his feathers fluffing out slightly in response, "I...I won't be able to fly properly for another week or so..." 

Grif pulls a face "Why? Did you hurt your wing or something?"

Simmons shook his head, not looking away from his armor, and replied slowly, "...I had to cut my flight feathers..."

Grif almost dropped his cigarette as he cried out "Why on earth would you do that!?" He couldn't imagine willingly clipping his wings even if he couldn't fly. 

Simmons unfolded one massive wing and said "Watch."

So Grif did, with a confused look, as he carefully re-folded his wing. That didn't explain why Simmons had to...

Oh.

The very tips of his wings almost touched the concrete floor and Grif estimated that if he hadn't clipped them then they would've been scraped ragged from dragging across the ground.

"...How long...?" Grif trailed off as Simmons shrugged. "5 years. Ever since I got here to Blood Gulch at least." He continued, putting away his armor, "My wings are so large that the concrete shreds them so I trim them every now and then to keep them from shredding cuz that hurts way more than simply clipping them would." 

As he spoke, Grif put out his cigarette and walked up behind Simmons, his face blank.

When Simmons turned away from his locker he was surprised by Grif suddenly pulling him into a hug, mumbling how he was sorry for judging him just because of his wings. Simmons smiled sadly and accepted the apology and if his wings reached around to brush Grif's it was because Simmons' wings were too large to do anything else...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC (?)
> 
> Wing Meanings:
> 
>  **Sparrow** \- intelligence, gentleness, companionship, hope, common nobility, and fertility. The sparrow is the bird of the full harvest moon.
> 
>  **Owl** \- silence, swiftness, keen sight, freedom, magical, watchfulness, patience, night, and intuition.
> 
>  **Goose** \- parenthood, luck, innocence, travels, fertility, productiveness, loyalty, teamwork, fellowship, communication, call of the quest, and cooperation.
> 
>  **Hummingbird** \- messenger, joy, beauty, time, and swiftness.
> 
> Next time:  
> Encounter 3: Animal Hybrids/Experiments


	4. Encounter 3: Science Experiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My name is Simmons, I am a 17 year old cat-hybrid, and I'm being transfered to a new research facility called Blood Gulch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maximum Ride AU (IDK)
> 
> Simmons with Cat ears and a tail. (^u^)  
> Grif with Dog ears and a tail. (0u0)  
> PEOPLE WITH ANIMAL FEATURES. (*p*)
> 
> Ages range from 15-19

_My name is Simmons, I am a 17 year old cat-hybrid, and I'm being transfered to a new research facility called Blood Gulch._  
\--------------------

I woke up in a daze. I remembered being tranqualized and then...nothing. I sat up slowly, rubbing the back of my sore head. I looked around taking in the bland lab beyond the bars of the surprisingly large cage I was in.

_Least this cage has a cushioned floor..._ I thought wryly to myself, my tail curling nervously around my left ankle as I estimated the cage to be roughly 6 feet long, 7 feet high and 5 feet across. More than enough room for me to sleep and move around in.

"Hey everyone! The new guy is awake!" A loud voice startled me, making me jump, my cat ears flattening themselves on the top of my head. I peered through the bars of the cage to see a skinny pale-blonde haired boy, 14 maybe 15 years old, dressed in ultramarine blue scrubs with big brown eyes, standing in an identical cage across the way, grinning at me. Poking out of his hair were a pair of round golden brown ears and his canines, like mine were slightly elongated.

"Hi maroon guy! I'm Caboose! Imma bear!" The boy called out with a wave.

_Maroon guy?_ I looked down at my clothes which had been changed from dull grey scrubs to a rich maroon set instead.

"S-Simmons. I'm a cat." I responded cautiously. Caboose's smile seemed to grow as another person drawled "A cat huh? Hope you don't eat me or Donut. Though I'm sure my dick tastes great! Bow Chicka Bow Wow~!"

I connected the voice to an African American hybrid who looked roughly my age was crouched in the corner of his cage to Caboose's right, _my left_ , dressed in aqua scrubs. Lazily swaying between the bars of his cage was a long thin bald tail, _is he a rodent of some sort?_ , and poking out of his dreadlock-like hair was a pair of large grey sattelite-dish ears. When he grinned his front teeth were a bit larger than the rest and blunter looking too.

"Sup? Name's Tucker, mouse." The guy lazily saluted me before pointing towards Caboose's cage, "On the airhead's other side is Church. He's a eel of some kind I think. And further along than that is Tex. She's a Great White."

That's when I realized that next to Caboose's cage rather than two more cages, there were two giant fish tanks instead, filled 3 quarters of the way full with murky water. At the mention of their names two hybrids came into view and stared at me with identical dark gazes.

The guy, _Church was what Tucker said his name was_ , was wearing cobalt swimming trunks and looked about 19 or so, with long-ish dark hair that swayed around his face. He had pale skin, webbed fingers, and on either side of his neck and rib cage were 3 slices in his skin that slowly opened and closed, his gills I realized. His mouth looked permenantly held open in a snarl by his long needle-like teeth.

The other was a blonde girl, _Tex if I was remembering properly_ , clad in a black bikini that looked to be the same age as Church. Just like him, she had pale skin, webbed fingers and 3 gill slits on either side of her neck and rib cage. Unlike him, she also had a broad tail stretching out her spine and her teeth, when she bared them at me, were much smaller than his and were triangular in shape.

They both stared at me for a minute or so before vanishing back into the depths of their tanks.

"They aren't that social at this time of night. You'll probably hear them talk tomorrow..." An adrogynous voice said from my right. In the other side of the empty cage to my right I saw a 15 year old person of undeterminable gender sitting crosslegged in their cage, wearing pale pink scrubs, with dirty-blonde hair and golden wings giving me a nervous smile. As I watched they nervously flexed his talon-like hands and feet, his blue eyes not meeting mine.

"Night? How do you know it's night-time...ummm..." I asked them. They finally met my gaze and smiled widely saying "Donut! I'm Donut, an eagle hybrid. As for knowing it's night-time, there's a clock over here. Says it's 22:00 PM..."

Another voice, this one to my left, remarked sleepily, "Means that they should be bringing Grif, Sarge, and Sister back soon..." Just like on my right, there was an empty cage and then beyond that there was another which had a 16 year old guy lying down, dressed in purple scrubs with dark brown hair, while blinking, pale purple eyes with vertical pupils, _much like my own_ , slowly at me. His skin had patches of purple and black scales all over that contrasted sharply with his pale skin, a long purple tail coiled neatly on his lap, and his tongue, which was long, thin and split at the tip, flicked out every now and then.

"DuFresne. Lizard. You can call me Doc because I know that you'll never be able to pronounce my name and Doc is what Tucker calls me since we figured out that out of all of us I have the most medical knowledge." He quickly said.

Before I could say anything further, the faint sounds of shouts reached my ears. I watched as all the others moved to the backs of their cages as 5 people in labcoats came in with 3 hybrids, two of which were fighting tooth and nail to get free. I shrank back myself as 4 of them came my way, two Labcoats to a hybrid. They were roughly shoved into a cage on either side of me.

One of the Labcoats paused, and peered in at me. "The Cat-Hybrid is awake. The Director will be pleased." He smiled at me, the smile not reaching his cold eyes, "I'd get as much sleep as I could kitty-boy. We have lots of tests for you to do tomorrow..." I shivered as he laughed leaving with his friends, the lights dimming after they left.

Once the lights were barely on, a faint whining came from across the way while the hybrid to my immediate right asked something in a strange language. A female voice responded, her voice quavering slightly.

The hybrid to my right cursed in their language briefly before the hybrid to my left hissed with a distinct Southern accent, "Grif stop talkin' in that goddamned language of yours and go ta sleep!" 

I looked at the hybrid to my left and in the darkness I could see that the hybrid was roughly Church's age, his scrubs were a bright red, and his hair was black, going prematurely white at his temples. Pricked up on top of his head were a pair of dark dog ears and his tail was arched upwards in irritation.

The other hybrid, _Grif was this one which made the girl Sister and red scrubs Sarge_ , snarled at him, his own paler ears flattened themselves onto his skull while his tail drooped between his legs. Grif was a chubby hybrid clad in dark orange scrubs that also looked my age, with caramel skin, dark umber hair, and surprisingly sleepy golden eyes. 

His snarls stopped as he noticed me. "You're that new hybrid right? I'm Grif, that's Sarge, and that," he jerked his thumb in the direction of the now absent whimpers, "is my sister, Kaikaina. You can just call her Sister though..."

I nodded before timidly responding "I'm Simmons." He grunted and said, as he settled down for the night, "Welcome to Hell, Simmons..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC (?)
> 
> Next time:
> 
> Encounter 4: His Dark Materials


	5. Encounter 4: My Heart on the Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My mother always told me that appearances could sometimes decieving when it came to people's Daemons...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory HDM AU...
> 
> *shrug* I really don't have much to besides thanks for the kudos.
> 
> (Shout out to thegreenpuma88 and their AWESOME AU idea~! *p*)

My mother always told me that appearances could sometimes decieving when it came to people's Daemons.

She would fondly pat her Daemon, a Basset Hound named Rufus, on the head whenever she said that. It was because of this advise that I took care in making friends. Just because someone had a beautiful Daemon didn't mean that they weren't an asshole and just because someone had a shitty-looking Daemon didn't mean they weren't a wonderful person.

When Liliana eventually Settled as a porcupine when I was 15, I smiled sadly at her because I knew what that meant about myself. I was prickly and easily annoyed but if you took the time to get to know me, I was ~~somewhat~~ gentle and kind. A few years later Kai's Daemon, Boyd, settled as a Golden Retriever which made me smile. Airheaded and petty at times but overall good hearted and well-meaning, described my sister perfectly...

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Once I was drafted ( _Liliana hated the fact that they made us stretch our bond because it hurt like a bitch to do so_ ) and ended up in Blood Gulch, I was just as cautious as always when meeting the others and their Daemons.

Neither Tex nor Church had any visible Daemons and Tucker loved scaring Donut and Caboose by saying that they had been Severed from their Daemons long ago and that's why they acted like they did. ( _Once we found out that both of them were AIs everything made sense because as far as I could tell AIs were basically Daemons themselves_ )

Tucker himself had a Queen Bee named Wonda. No surprise considering that while Tucker flirted a lot and acted pretty carefree, he was willing to defend what he held close to his heart to the death if necessary. ( _Still really upset that he fucked my sister though..._ )

Caboose surprised me because I expected him to have a butterfly or something cute like that. Instead he had a fucking huge Grizzly named Iris. Protective but innocent...Yup that was Caboose.

I tended to keep as far away from Doc's Evia as I was physically able. I mean no offense but bats always weird me out, especially Vampire bats.

Sarge had a Pitbull named Barton, which surprised me at first. Most Daemons are the opposite gender of the person they belonged to but Sarge's was the same. As for Barton being a pitbull it just meant that Sarge acted like a hardass and like he was in control but really he was a marhmallow inside. ( _...Deep, deep, deeeeep down inside him...Like if you went a little ways past China, you could find the squishy center of Sarge...Hopefully._ )

Donut had a Red-Throated Hummingbird named Leena and both of them rarely shut up. Seriously if Donut wasn't chattering at you and/or your Daemon, Leena was.(Both were also surprisingly smart and were quick to obey any orders given no matter the source)

My favorite out of any of the Daemons I met in Blood Gulch though was Simmons' Maris. Why? Because she was a hedgehog.

It meant that like me he could be prickly when you first met him but gradually he'd turn out to be a good friend...If you could convince him to come out of his shell and let loose a bit that is.

Once you did that...Well let's just say that we don't always keep our eyes on the Blue Base when we're on patrol nowadays...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time:
> 
> Encounter 5: Mutants


	6. Encounter 5: Get Out of My Head!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain Dutch-Irishman is really hard to get out of one's head...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got bored and decided to make this one a dialogue only drabble.
> 
> Bold is Grif.  
> Italizied is Simmons.

" _Well...That could've gone better..._ "

" **You think?!? Geeze this sucks balls...** "

" _I didn't mean to-..._ "

" **Didn't mean to get stuck in my head? NO SHIT SHERLOCK!** "

" _Simmons._ "

" **...What?** "

" _My name is Richard Simmons, Dexter._ "

" **Not even gonna ask how you know but call me Grif. I hate it when people use my first name.** "

" _My apologies._ "

" **Ugh...So now what happens?** "

" _As of now? I think you should try to relax. Everytime I try to withdraw, your mind ends up sucking me back in!_ "

" **Hmmph...** "

" _Seriously it's like...It's like walking through a swamp. The harder I try to get out the more your mind clings to me._ "

" **You implying that my fucking mind WANTS you in my head?** "

" _You stopped transforming into a bear when I linked us together didn't you?_ "

" **...Touche...** "

" _..._ "

" **...** "

" _Umm...._ "

" **Listen, what if you don't leave my head. What would happen to us then?** "

" _Honestly? I'm not sure. I'd probably be able to help you control your transformations and you'd keep shielding me..._ "

" **Shielding you?** "

" _Somehow being connected to your mind blocks everyone else out. Maybe it's the animalistic part of your mind that allows you to transform doing it, I have no clue._ "

" **Huh...** "

" _In any case as far as I can tell if we remain linked it'll be...mutually beneficial._ "

" **In English ya lolo.** "

" _...Lolo?_ "

" **Crazy, moron, idiot, take your pick of meanings.** "

" _...It'll help both of us control our powers easier_."

" **Why didn't you say that in the first place?** "

" _..._ "

" **...** "

" _..._ "

" **...Fine then. If you help me get my transforming under control, I'll help 'shield' your mind fom other people's. Sound fair Dick?** "

" _Fair to me._ "

" **Let's do this then...** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it wasn't clear, Simmons is telepathic and Grif doesn't have a good grasp on his powers so he transforms into various animals at random.
> 
> Next Time:
> 
> Encounter 6: Blind/Mute


	7. Encounter 6: See No Evil, Speak No Evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It started Freshman year of High School...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another school AU though this is blended with my favorite Blind/Mute AU and this is one drabble that I will definately try to write a seperate story for because HOLY CRAP I LOVE THE IDEAS IN MY HEAD FOR THIS ONE! 38D

Grif hated people assuming that just because he couldn't see others getting bullied didn't mean he couldn't hear it. He couldn't stand the idea that someone was getting injured, whether it was physically or verbally.Tucker jokingly called him the town's own personal Daredevil after the third time he drove some bullies away from Donut which ended up with the title becoming Caboose's nickname for him.

It was before Homeroom, before most people came into school actually, that Grif  heard the slightly familiar sounds of someone getting beaten up.

This time though, the sounds were slightly different. There were the usual thudding noises of flesh hitting flesh and grunts from the bullies, but oddly not a single sound from the victim other than the occasional gasp of breath or whimper of pain.

"Hey cock bites!" Grif shouted before swinging his cane like a baseball bat ( _the ball moved so much slower in his memories than in real life_ ) until he felt it connect with someone's back. There was a grunt and he darted back as someone's fist narrowly missed him. "Get lost Bat-boy!" The person ( _a fellow freshman named Gerald Jefferson, if Grif was remembering his voice correctly_ ) snarled at him. "How about you leave whoever you're beating up alone so you don't have to feel bad about getting your ass kicked by a blind kid." Grif retorted, shifting his hold on his cane.

Gerald started to respond when a teacher's voice rang out "Mr. Jefferson!" and there was a yelp from in front of Grif as the teacher ( _One of the guidance counselers judging from his voice_ ) continued, "Thank you once again Mr. Grif for stopping Mr. Jefferson before he could do any serious damage to Mr. Simmons."

Grif nodded and once he heard the teacher's and Gerald's footsteps fade out, he turned towards a faint whimpering noise."Simmons huh? Never heard your name before...You new?" A whimper and the rustling of paper was his only response. Grif fowned couching and awkwardly feeling around, and ending up with a handful of papers. Said papers were pulled from his grasp almost immediately.

"Hey! No need to be rude about it!" Grif snapped. There was a pause and someone's hand turned his still outstretched hand palm up and another hand started tracing something into his palm.

Letters to be exact.

S O R R Y I C A N T S P E A K

Grif frowned trying to comprehend what the letters meant. "Wait...You can't speak?" There was a pause and a smile was traced into his palm. "Whoa...Sorry for exploding at you then..."

Carefully two letters were traced into his palm.

N P

Grif laughed "Did you just use chat speak on my palm?"

There was a pause before 5 letters were slowly traced into his palm.

M A Y B E

They were swiftly followed by another traced smile, this one winking.

He laughed harder, till his eyes watered aand he had to remove his sunglasses to wipe his eyes. The hand around his tightened briefly before the other dartedover his palm really fast.

Y O U R E Y E S D O N T L O O K B L I N D T O ME

Grif stopped laughing and stared solemnly in the general direction of Simmons' face. "That's because the problem isn't my eyes. It's my brain." Grif stood up, tugging Simmons to his feet as well before continuing, bitterly, "I...I hit my head on a reef about...4 or 5 years ago while surfing and passed out. Woke up in pitch blackness 2 days later."

Simmons squeezed his hand.

I M S O R R Y I S H O U L D N T H A V E S A I D T H A T

Grif shrugged, trying to be casual, as he replaced his sunglasses. "It's alright. I'm used to it by now..." He gave Simmons an awkward grin before asking "So you know what your sheduale looks like? We might share some classes..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC (Definately will~!)
> 
> Next Time:
> 
> Encounter 7: Cancer AU


	8. Encounter 7: A Darkness in Your Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simmons was 18 and he was dying...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh...This one is all bittersweet to me for various reasons...
> 
> Thanks to thegreenpuma88 for the prompt; Both Simmons and Grif are in the hospital with cancer receiving treatment. Age: around 16ish.

Simmons was 18 and he was dying.

It wasn't anything new to him, he had been dying for the past 5 years but the fact still remained.

He was dying of cancer, Lukemia to be exact.

He couldn't decide which was better or worse; dying slowly so that he had more time to spend with his parents or dying quickly so the pain would stop.

His roommates ( _sometimes they'd only give him one, sometimes he got 2 if there wasn't any space otherwise_ ) cycled in and out as they finished their own rounds of chemo or ( _occasionally_ ) died.

His most recent had been a cheery boy named Michael J. Caboose who had Thyroid cancer. Simmons had to smile because whether Caboose was high on the painkillers or not he was always silly and very forgetful. It made him sad when Caboose had to leave and was able to go home though.

He learned of his new roomate after Caboose when he woke up to the sound of someone throwing up in the bathroom. He winced sympathically as he put his glasses on, at the groans and splashing noises that echoed through the room.

When the door opened Simmons blinked at the surprisingly chubby tan teen who still had all of his hair, a couple years younger than him, in the bathroom doorway. The newcomer stared at him before nervously rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand and croaked, "Sup. I'm Grif."

"Simmons." He simply responded as Grif walked over to him to lean on the rail at the foot of his bed. "Simmons? That your first or last name?" Simmons smiled slightly "Last. First name is Richard. What about you?"

Grif smirked back and replied "Last as well. First name is Dexter."

Simmons had to laugh "Dexter? Like Dexter's Lab?" Grif stuck his tongue out at him before responding "I prefer to think of it as Dexter from well Dexter."

Simmons grinned at him and teased "Are you gonna cut apart the nurses that suck then?" Grif put his finger to his lips and winked "That's for me to know and you to-!"

Grif cut himself off, his eyes widening as his hand shifted to cover his mouth. He spun around and ran back into the bathroom. Shortly afterwards the sound of retching filled the air.

Simmons carefully climbed out of bed and went to the doorway of the bathroom. Grif was practically hugging the toilet as he hurled into it.

Simmons almost backed away and went back to bed but then he remembered how lonely he always was when he threw up due to chemo and how grateful he had been when Caboose had sat with him chattering away about nothing and everything.

"Grif?" He cautiously said as he knelt next to the younger teen. Grif glanced at him briefly before spitting into the toilet.

"...Stomach cancer." Grif quietly said, not looking at him, "That's why I'm here. Thought it was an ulcer at first but when they checked it out..." He trailed off, resting his forehead on the edge of the toilet-bowl.

Simmons bit his lip before saying "Leukemia." Grif lifted his head and stared at him as he explained, looking down at his hands, "I had been playing baseball and I got a bruise after sliding into home base. It took over 2 weeks for it to fade. Mom and Dad took me to the doctor's almost immediately when they found out and had my blood tested."

He looked up at Grif "I've been here for a couple years now. Occasionally I'm well enough to leave and go home but that's rare. Not like anyone would be able to care for me at home too. Both Mom and Dad work and I have no siblings."

"Lucky. I have a sister, Kaikaina, and she's a spoiled little brat..." Grif grumbled "Plus you have both a mom and a dad, I only have a mom..."

Simmons tilted his head to the side, "Any friends?"

Grif started rambling about his two friends, Franklin and Lavernius ("I call them Donut and Tucker though cuz that's their last names..."), and how the one was a sister-fucking asshat and the other was a gay-as-hell dork, pausing every now and then to throw up.

Eventually, while Grif was dry-heaving into the toilet, Simmons softly said, "At least you have friends that'll probably visit you..."

Grif coughed, spitting into the toilet and frowned at him, "What on earth do you mean by that?"

Simmons hesitated before answering "Baseball was the only group thing I did. I preferred to sit off to the side and read by myself so I never had too many real friends. My Mom and Dad are usually too busy with work to visit me here too."

Grif was silent before giving Simmons an awkward one armed hug "Well that sucks balls...How about this? When I get out, I'll make sure to come and visit you okay?"

Simmons blinked "You'd do that?" 

Grif shrugged "Why not? Isn't that what friends are for?"

Simmons smiled and hugged him back "Yeah..."

He may be slowly dying but now he had something to live for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: 
> 
> Encounter 8: Internet Friends Through Halo

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment with AUs that you think I should try putting these dorks into~! :D


End file.
